Three local men busted in steroid ring

Arrests come in second phase of Operation Road Runner, which has charged 16 in all.

August 20, 2010|By Manuel Gamiz Jr., OF THE MORNING CALL

Three Lehigh Valley men, including a promoter who once headed the bodybuilding competition at SportsFest, are among six people facing steroid-related charges, according to the state attorney general's office.

The six arrests were the second phase of Operation Road Runner, which led to 10 arrests for alleged steroid sales in November 2009.

Craig Johnson, 39, of 3102 Lehigh St., Allentown, is a promoter for Lehigh Valley NPC and at one time was in charge of the bodybuilding competition at SportsFest, a four-day amateur athletics event held across Allentown. SportsFest's president, Ray Atiyeh, said a falling-out over unpaid bills led him to bring in another person to run the competition.

Johnson's attorney, Jason Jenkins of Allentown, said his client never sold steroids to make money. Jenkins said Johnson knew someone who asked for steroids and directed him to someone who sold them. That person turned out to be an informant, he said.

"His involvement was nothing," Jenkins said. "He was charged with criminal conspiracy, which can be anything as small as making a phone call. Johnson didn't have the intent to commit a crime. In many ways, he saw this as doing a favor for a friend."

Also charged are Edward Moyzan, 37, of 207 Turning Leaf Trail, Trexlertown, and Brian Potance, 26, of 606 Berks St., Palmer Township. According to his Facebook page, Potance is a Northampton County corrections officer. Moyzan was recently sentenced to six to 23 months in prison for selling steroids at a Gold's Gym in Bethlehem.

According to a state grand jury:

A confidential informant bought between $1,000 and $2,210 worth of steroids from Johnson on three occasions in August and September 2009. Johnson told the confidential informant the steroids were being supplied by Moyzan, who said he did not want to deal directly with the buyer.

All the sales happened at 725 N. 15th St. in Allentown, the site of Johnson's business, Top Physique Nutrition and Promotions. After the informant gave Johnson money, Moyzan would go to the business and get the money from Johnson.

In November 2009, an agent with the attorney general's office interviewed Moyzan, who admitted providing steroids to Johnson. Moyzan said he started getting steroids from Potance in the summer of 2009. He said between then and January of this year, he bought steroids 15 times from Potance.

Another confidential informant then bought steroids from Potance that month and again in January of this year at a Wendy's restaurant in Bethlehem. Potance said he bought steroids online.

The others arrested are Brian Chamberlain, 26, of West Chester, Chester County; Frank Peters, 34, of Ambler, Montgomery County; and Angela Girondo, 50, also of Ambler. Investigators said the three sold steroids and human growth hormone kits to confidential informants from September 2009 to March of this year.

They also admitted getting the steroids online through sellers in China, Hungary and Pakistan.

State Attorney General Tom Corbett said the second phase of the operation led to the seizure of 300 bottles of steroids and more than 2,300 pills.

Moyzan and Potance are charged with delivery of a controlled substance and conspiracy, Johnson only with conspiracy. Moyzan was sent to Lehigh County Prison under $100,000 bail, Johnson was released on unsecured bail and no bail information was available for Potance.

In the first round of arrests in November 2009, 10 people were hit with steroid charges , including five local men: George Koufalis, 35, of Lower Macungie Township; John Sassaman, 51, of Salisbury Township; Chad Gillespie, 33, of Catasauqua; Marcus Lazaro, 30, of Freemansburg; and Christopher Niemczyk, 32, of Williams Township.

Niemczyk was sentenced to two years' probation and Gillespie to 11 months in prison. The status of the others was not available.

Johnson has promoted several bodybuilding and top figure competitions in the Lehigh Valley, including a 2007 show held at Lehigh University's Stabler Arena in Bethlehem with the winners qualifying for the Mr. Olympia contest.

Johnson's Facebook page is filled with photos taken at competitions, the most recent a bodybuilding, figure and bikini championship at Lower Macungie Middle School in May. In many of the photos, Johnson is shown raising the hand of the winner.

Atiyeh said the last time Johnson ran the bodybuilding competition at SportsFest was about four years ago. Johnson allegedly failed to pay $700 for work done by Atiyeh's printing company and also failed to pay a trophy company more than $1,000, Atiyeh said.